Bats go flat as Hawaii baseball team loses pair to CSUN

Different story lines had the same outcome — 12-0 and 4-3 losses — for the Hawaii baseball team against Cal State Northridge in Saturday’s doubleheader at Matador Field.

In the first game, the Rainbow Warriors’ five errors, including four in the first three innings, snowballed into a CSUN rout that was mercy-halted after 61⁄2 innings. In the second game, freshman first baseman Konnor Palmeira’s three-run blast staked the ’Bows to a 3-1 lead in the second inning. But Jayson Newman tied it with an opposite-field, two-run homer in the third, and the Matadors went ahead for good, at 4-3, on Mason Le’s RBI single in the fourth.

“At least the nightcap was a real game,” UH coach Mike Trapasso said. “The first game was as bad a display of baseball as you can ever put on, defensively in particular.”

Including Friday’s 9-1 loss, the ’Bows scored runs in two of 25 innings this series, and one in 16 innings on Saturday.

“If Konnor Palmeira doesn’t come to the park (on Saturday), we’ve got two shutouts,” Trapasso said of the middle games of a series that concludes today. “That’s the disappointing thing. We knew Northridge would score and have a very good offense. I really thought we would match them, because most everyone else has this year. They pitched well against us, and we really struggled offensively. We were just flat offensively.”

In the opener, Gavin Lizik pitched the Matadors’ second complete game in a row. Lizik allowed two hits, including Adam Fogel’s 4-foot chopper for an infield single, and struck out nine in seven innings. The Matadors stormed to a 3-0 lead when their first three hitters reached on two doubles and a single. The first inning was extended when a potential strikeout-throwout double play broke down because of second baseman Aaron Ujimori’s miscue. Ujimori, usually a steady fielder, was lifted after committing two more errors in the third inning. Trapasso said Ujimori needed a break, and he was back in the lineup for the second game.

UH right-hander Cade Halemanu, who was pulled with one out in the fifth, allowed 10 runs, but only six were earned.

“He wasn’t that bad,” Trapasso said. “He got completely sabotaged. I’ve seen Cade throw worse this year. The first inning, they just got some good swings off of him. His stuff was good, and he battled, but we never gave him an opportunity.”

The Matadors stole five bases, and took advantage of UH outfielders’ failing to throw to the cutoff man three times. “We completely abandoned our No. 1 rule of thumb, which is to always keep the batter-runner off second base, always keep the (potential) double play in order,” Trapasso said. “We gave up six or seven extra bases, and they all turned into runs because of that.”

In the doubleheader’s second game, Austin Teixeira returned to the mound for the first time since suffering triceps discomfort three weeks ago. Teixeira allowed all four CSUN runs in 32⁄3 innings.

“The stuff was good,” Trapasso said of Teixeira’s pitches. “The important thing is he gave us a chance. He really made just one bad pitch, to Newman, who hit the ball out on an elevated fastball.”

UH reliever Li‘i Pontes pitched four scoreless innings, and Cameron Hagan retired the only batter he faced.

“Pontes was the story of just giving ourselves a chance,” Trapasso said. “We couldn’t mount anything against their pitching today or in the series. We’re just not swinging the bat.”